The testimony
signifies the next phase of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.

Vermont’s
sole Congressman Peter Welch sits on the 22 person panel.

“The
question here is not a dispute about the enormous power that a president has,”
he said. “The question is whether in this case there was an abuse of that power.”

The inquiry
stems from a phone call Trump had with Ukrainian leaders on July 25th. In
August, a whistleblower complaint was filed with the inspector general’s
office. It alleges the President urged Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and the
presidential hopeful’s son Hunter. A few days later, it was reported the
president froze nearly $400 million in military aid for Ukraine.

Welch got the
loudest laughter of the hearing with a response to Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan
who accused Chairman Adam Schiff and the democrats of hiding the whistleblower.

“There
is one witness that they won’t bring in front of us,” said Jordan. ”That’s the
guy who started it all, the whistle-blower.”

“I’d be
glad to have the person who started it all come in and testify,” responded
Welch. “President Trump is welcome to take a seat right there.”

New York
republican Elise Stefanik said there are two important facts, “Number one:
Ukraine received the aid. Number two: There was in fact no investigation into Biden.”

The congresswoman
also sparred with Schiff, asking for an answer to a request made by republicans
to add six additional witnesses, including the whistleblower.

“Three
of the witnesses the minority has requested are scheduled for next week,”
Schiff said,

Stefanik interrupted,
“Those are your witnesses Mr. Chairman not the additional six witnesses.”

The pair also
had a heated exchange when Stefanik asked whether Schiff would bar certain
questions from being answered.

“Mr.
Chairman, will you be prohibiting witnesses from answering member’s questions
as you have in the closed-door depositions,” asked Stefanik.

“The only times I prevented
witnesses from answering questions along with our counsel was when it was
apparent member were seeking to out the whistleblower,” said Schiff. “We will
do everything to protect the whistleblower’s identity.”

On Friday Marie Yovanovitch, the
former US ambassador to Ukraine, Bill Taylor replaced will testify.

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